Cloth-steamer.



No 633,238. Patented Sept. l9, I899. D. GESSNER.

CLOTH ST'EAMER.

(Application filed Jan. 20, 1898.)

(No Model.)

WILHESSES;

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UNITED STATES PAT NT OFFICE.

DAVID GESSNER, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

CLOTH-STEAMER.

SPECIFIGA'iiON forming part of Letters am No. 633,238, dated September 19, 1899. Application tiledwl'anuary 20, 1898. Serial No. 667,253. (No model.)

To (ZZZ whom it may camer Be it known that I, DAviD GEssNER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have inveiited certain new and useful Improvements iii Cloth- Steamers, of which the following is a specification. I

In my Patent No. 427,069, dated Ma t, 1890, is described a steamer to which I prefer to apply the present improvement, althoiigh the present improvement is applicable to steamers of other constructions.

In the use of steamers heretofore the only manner of arresting the operatie'n (if the steamer has been byshutting the supplyvalve, so as to cut off the supply of steam entering the steamer When this has been done, the steam contained in the steamer it-- self has continued to escape from the steamer onto the cloth, and as it became cooler and cooler its condensation upon the cloth increased with the result of producing water marks or stains. In many iiista'iices this evil was increased by the return of steam from the exhaust-pipe due to back pressure. The consequence has been that where such steamers were iised upon cloth-presses, elem-misning, or other cloth -tr eating' machinery the operator was likely to produce a, water stain or mark upon the cloth whenever he turned off the steaming, which is ordinarily necessary several times during the day, makingit customary for the operator to stop his steaming Whenever practicable when a leader was above the steamer. I v

The object of the present invention is to overcome the above evil, whieh is accoiih plished by interposing an impervious cover between the cloth and the mouth of the steamer, so that the steam is cut off from any access to the cloth, and therefere the eloth is either steamed under uniform conditions or not steamed at all. I I

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an isometric view of the steamer with a portion of the cover removed to show the interior construction. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the same. Fig. 3 is ah end view of the same.

Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are details. v p n 1 is the trough, which constitutes the walls of an ordinary steamer. 2 is the supply-pipe,

which connects through the dasher 3 with the distributing or perforated pipe 4. exhaust-pipe for the escape of water thrown out with the steam as it is dashed against the deflector 3. All of these parts may be constructed and arranged as described in said Patent No. 427,069 or of any other suitable construction or arrangement.

6 is the cloth or impervious cover, which lies over the mouth of the steamer l and is'held in that position by the weightingframe, (shown in Fig. 6,) consisting of the side mem bers 7 8 and cross members 9. This weighting-frame serves to draw the cloth taut over the mouth of the steamer, as shown.

Around the upper portion of the steamer 1 is a space 10, which is formed by an outward and upward projection or ledge, as shown, from the sides and ends of the steamer. The Weighting-frame (shown in Fig. 6) lies in this space. The outer walls of the space 10 are composed of a stationary wall 11, a movable piece 12, and an intermediate piece 13, held together by screws 14, passing through slots 15 in the intermediate piece 13. The intermediate piece 13 rests upon the points of setscrews'16, whereby it is susceptible of vertical adjustment, so as to adjust vertically the position of the felt packing 17, which is clamped between the stationary wall 11 and movable piece 12 above it. The parts 11 and 12 are pla ned on the upper edges, so as to form a steam-tight seat on the ledge for the cover 18. Thiscover is provided near its 0p posite ends with holes 19, each of which is located siifficiently aside from the edge of the cloth (the position of such edge being indieated by the dotted line 20 in Fig. 1) so that no steam or moisture escaping through either of said holes or openings can be deposited :upon the cloth.

y when the cover 18 rests upon the ledge before described, it forms a steam-tight connection above the steamer, so

that the escape of steam or moisture from Should and ledge it can be corrected by the adj ustment of the packing 17 through raising'or lowering the adj ustable intermediate piece 13 by the set-screws 16.

5 is the ICO Although I do not wish to be understood as l the machine on which the steamer is usedin limiting myself to any particular form of mechanism for moving the cover 18, yet I prefer the following mechanism for that purpose:

21 and 22 are brackets suitable for supporting the steamer upon any machine on which it may be used. Upon an extension of these brackets at one side of the steamer and on a level with the under side of the cover are provided the slide-rests 23 24, suitable to receive the cover when it is slid from the position shown in Fig. 2 into the position shown in Fig. The ends of the cover 18 overhang the end walls of the ledge outside of space 10, and under each end of the cover is secured a rack 25 in such position that the racks lie against the end walls of the ledge at the planed surfaces 11 and against the planed outside edges ll of the brackets 2i and 22. These racks engage, respectively, with the pinions 26 and 27, fast upon the shaft 28, so that by turning this shaft the cover may be slid from the closed position shown in Fig. 2 to the open position shown in Fig. 3, and vice versa. The overhang of the ledges inclosing space 10 beyond the ends of the steamer-shell l rests upon the flanges 21, jutting out from the brackets 21 and 22, suitable provision being made for the passage of the supply-pipe 2 through an opening 21 between them. The broken line 28", Figs. 2 and 3, represents the position of the cloth. It is held in that position by the guides 30 31. (Shown in Fig. 3.) It will be observed that when the cover isin the position shown in Fi 3, the steam from the interior of the steamer 1 after passing through the impervious cover 6 has unobstructed access to the cloth, whereas when the cover is in the closed position shown in Fig. 2 the steam after passing through the impervious cover 6 has no access whatsoever to the cloth, but is compelled to escape through the openings 19 aside from the'cloth. Therefore to arrest the steaming it is unnecessary to close the supply-valve and the consistency and temperature of the steam may continue constant up till the instant that it is cut off from the cloth. Likewise the consistency and temperature of the steam will be normal at the instant that the steam is given access to the cloth by the removal of the cover 18. Therefore the steaming may be started, arrested, and started repeatedly without injuriously varying the consistency or temperature of the steam striking the cloth and all the evil etfects above mentioned may be prevented.

The felt packing 17 acts not merely to assist in producing a steam-tight joint with the cover 18, but also acts at the side over which the cover slides in opening and closing as a wiper to wipe the under side of the cover as it passes free from any moisture condensed thereon, so that such moisture cannot drop upon any cloth that may be traveling through a position below the open position of the cover 18.

I claim- 1. In combination, a steamer, an impervious cover, means for guiding the cloth over the cover and means for moving the coverin the direction of movement of the cloth substantially as described.

2. In combination, a steamer, an impervious cover therefor, cloth-guides located on each side of the steamer and in a plane to guide the cloth clear of the cover, substantially as described.

3. In combination, a steamer, an impervious cover therefor and means for moving the cover over or from the steamer in line with the travel of the cloth, substantially as described.

4. In combination, a steamer, an impervious removable cover interposed between the same and the cloth and a support whereon said cover rests when removed, substantially as described.

5. In combination with a steamer, an impervious cover interposed between the same and the cloth, a support whereon said cover rests when removed and mechanism connected with said cover whereby its removal and replacement is effected, substantially as described.

6. In combination with a steamer, an impervious cover interposed between the same and the cloth and a support whereon said cover rests when removed; said support being located under the cloth, substantially as described.

7. In combination, a steamer, a pervious cover therefor and an impervious cover interposed between said pervious cover and the cloth and means for supporting the cloth above said covers whereby the position of the cloth does not interfere with the application of said impervious cover, substantially as described.

8. In combination, a steamer, an impervious cover interposed between the same and the cloth and means at or near the end of the steamer to permit the escape of steam without contacting with the cloth, substantially as described.

9. In combination, a steamer, a pervious cover therefor, a ledge outside of the upper portion thereof having its upper surface above the level of said pervious cover and an impervious cover resting on said ledge whereby said impervious cover may be slid onto said ledge without conflictingwith said pervious cover, substantially as described.

10. In combination, a steamer, a pervious cover,a ledge outside said steamer and a cover interposed between the cloth and said pervious cover and supported upon said ledge, substantially as described.

11. In combination, asteamer, an inclosu re outside the upper portion thereof, a pervious cover for said steamer, a weight occupying said inclosu re fordrawing said cover taut and an impervious cover for said inclosure and steamer whereby the steam is cut off from the cloth, substantially as described.

12. In combination, a steamer, an impervious cover interposed between the same and the cloth, a shaft 28 and connections between said shaft and both ends of the cover whereby said cover may be moved, substantially as described.

13. In combination, a steamer, an impervious cover interposed between the same and the cloth and a rack and pinion at each end of the cover whereby the same is moved, substantially as described;

14. In combination, a steamer, an imfiervious cover interposed between the same and 

